Meet the catfishing-proof dating app

One of the weirdest parts of online dating can be deciding whether or not you want to talk to people who match with you. As far as you know, they only exist as the best photo they chose of themselves — it can be hard to conjure an image of what they might be like IRL, especially if you can tell that they heavily Photoshopped their face and/or biceps.

Many dating apps, like Hinge, have added a conversation countdown that requires users to make quick decisions to begin a chats, but there’s a new option in town: Blume. No, sadly not Judy Blume, even though a dating app called Are You There, Guys? It’s Me, Single. would be amazing. (Can someone copyright that for me, please?)

Blume’s selection system works a lot like other dating apps: There’s the swiping, there’s the liking. But once you match with another user, each of you have to send a selfie, right then and there. You can add Snapchat-style text to your selfie, which could serve as a fun icebreaker. Each selfie is revealed to the other person for seven seconds, during which the each match has to make the split second decision about whether or not to accept the invitation to chat.

Once there’s a mutual match, both parties are transferred to a chat room. Blume reports that 65% of matches strike up conversation. The company planned ahead concerning potential breaches of privacy, and taking screenshots can get users suspended and eventually banned from the app.
On one hand, having users verify their identity through a selfie is a fabulous idea. It could definitely prevent catfish situations. On the other hand, though, some of us are not in selfie-ready condition as often as we’d like. Some of us are online dating in bed with a face mask on, reading YA novels, still confused about whether this dating app has anything to do with our favorite Blume, Judy.